


Helping Each Other

by Fangirlwriting



Series: Welcoming Arms [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Needs a Hug, Gen, He Needs It More, Hug The Light Sides 2021, Hugs, Morality | Patton Sanders Needs a Hug, Not As Much Anymore Though, Protective Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:22:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29191482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlwriting/pseuds/Fangirlwriting
Summary: Patton was an easy problem to fix compared to the other two light sides.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders
Series: Welcoming Arms [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2092758
Comments: 16
Kudos: 62





	Helping Each Other

Virgil very much enjoyed hugs from Patton. They were just as amazing as he’d always expected them to be. Patton hugs were full of so much love that it made it impossible to disregard how much he cared about you. Patton had told Virgil that hugs from him felt safe and protective, like Virgil could handle all of his problems for the moment. That hadn’t come as a surprise with how many times Janus and Remus had told him that before. (Not that he mentioned that part to Patton, of course.)

Virgil had brought up how they really should tell Roman and Logan about these things too, but Patton had seemed hesitant.

“I don’t think they’d listen if you told them directly,” he said, scooting a little closer on the couch and tucking his head under Virgil’s chin. “Logan’s the one who’s so certain that we don’t need touch. He won’t listen unless we’re all trying to explain at once.”

“Fair enough,” Virgil said, pulling Patton a little closer because he very much liked the feel of Patton tucked into him like that. Having someone close to him made his own anxieties calm down. “So what about Roman, then? We could start there. What would be the best way to explain this to him?”

Patton thought for a minute. “Make him think we’re asking because we want it,” he said after a second.

“That sounds like him,” Virgil admitted. “You think we could convince him to join us for a movie night?”

“Probably,” Patton said. “You think I could make some cookies?”

“Only if I get to eat the leftover cookie dough.”

“Deal.”

The following afternoon, they spent a couple hours making cookies, interspersed with hugs and casual touches and Patton playfully dabbing cookie dough on Virgil’s nose that he tried and failed to lick off without using his hands. They both laughed a lot at that, and Virgil took a moment to see how much more genuine Patton’s smiles had become in just a couple weeks.

Virgil was baffled at how all three of them had gotten it in their heads that they didn’t need any kind of touch. He was surprised Logan wasn’t aware of touch starvation as a general concept. Well, to be fair, it wasn’t like Virgil had known about it until he’d started doing research a few weeks ago. But he hadn’t needed to. He’d spent most of his life being surrounded by touch as such a normal thing that no one ever really needed to think about it.

He’d… considered a couple times going to talk to Janus and Remus about this. He’d ultimately decided against it. The wounds were still too fresh. He didn’t want to go running back to them with a problem when he was still hurt and mad at them and they were no doubt still hurt and mad themselves. Besides, he didn’t want to downplay how amazing Patton was at hugs. Because, seriously. He was.

They ate dinner, accompanied with pleasant conversation and joking, and a feeling of acceptance that felt just new enough that Virgil could still appreciate it for what it was, but old enough that it didn’t feel awkward. He kept his eye on Roman for most of the dinner, trying to think about the best way to ask for what he was planning.

He decided that the best way to go about it would be to start by asking with help setting up movie night, which Roman agreed to with no issue.

“Do you two want popcorn too? I can make it for you while you start,” Roman asked as they finally finished with the cushions and Patton set the cookies on the table.

Virgil exchanged a glance with Patton and nodded, giving a small smile.

“Actually,” Patton said, turning back to Roman. “Do you want to make it for three? We were kind of hoping you’d join us this time around.”

Roman lit up. “That sounds delightful!” he called happily. “Popcorn for three it is!”

Patton beamed right back, and Virgil pulled up the movie they were going to watch as Patton went to help with the popcorn.

They came back in a couple minutes later with three tubs of popcorn, and set them on the table. Patton immediately climbed on the couch and curled up next to Virgil, who wrapped his arms around him. Virgil watched Roman’s gaze catch on them before he hesitantly sat on the chair. Neither of them said anything at the moment, and Virgil played the movie as he pulled a tub over for him and Patton to share, along with a couple cookies.

They waited about ten minutes into the movie before Patton set the popcorn tub back on the table and whined. “Roman, it’s too cold on my other side. Come cuddle me.”

Virgil looked over at him. “Oh, sure. Take all the Roman cuddles for yourself and leave none for the rest of us. Typical.”

“What?” Roman asked.

“Fine,” Patton groaned and slid aside. “Come over here, Roman. You’ll just have to sit in the middle.”

“I… what?”

“We want hugs and cuddles, Roman!” Patton called, and Virgil nodded in confirmation. “Come on! _Please?”_

“I… well, I suppose… if you both want me to,” Roman said. “I could never turn down someone in need, after all.”

Virgil almost wanted to laugh at the hoops these idiots jumped through, but that would definitely have the opposite effect of the one he wanted, so he kept quiet.

Roman sat hesitantly in the space between them, and before he could say anything, Virgil and Patton both attached themselves to his sides. Virgil heard Roman’s strangled breath and started to pull back slightly in order to not overwhelm him, but Roman wrapped his arm around Virgil’s shoulder and pulled him right back over.

Virgil smirked at him, raising his eyebrows in a question.

“You… said you wanted to cuddle. Can hardly do that from a foot away,” Roman said weakly by way of explanation.

“Sure, Princey,” Virgil said, leaning his head on Roman’s shoulder as Patton started the movie again. Virgil grabbed the tub of popcorn and set it on Roman’s lap so they could continue to partake as the movie went on.

By the end of it, Virgil was pretty sure he’d found a new appreciation for Roman hugs. They were different from Patton’s. More similar to Remus, although telling Roman that felt like an extraordinary bad idea. But Roman and Remus both squeezed. Roman clearly wanted you as close to him as possible, and Virgil didn’t mind that one bit. He’d been wanting a bear hug from Remus for a month now, after all.

Roman was invited to future movie nights just before they all went to bed, which he accepted with a smile that seemed a little smaller and a little more genuine than his grand ones from earlier.

“I think I would like that,” he said softly, and both Virgil and Patton smiled at him.


End file.
